At a Glance
- President Trump says all federal dollars to states with sanctuary cities will stop Feb 1
- The move could hit California, New York, Connecticut and dozens of Democratic-led cities and counties
- Courts already blocked two earlier attempts to cut sanctuary funding
- Why it matters: The freeze could affect health care, food aid, and daycare money for millions of Americans
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that, beginning Feb 1, his administration will withhold all federal funding from states that harbor sanctuary cities, escalating his long-running battle with local governments that limit cooperation with immigration authorities.
What Trump Said
Speaking at the Detroit Economic Club, Trump declared: “Starting Feb 1, we’re not making any payments to sanctuary cities or states having sanctuary cities, because they do everything possible to protect criminals at the expense of American citizens and it breeds fraud and crime and all of the other problems that come. So we’re not making any payment to anybody that supports sanctuary cities.”
When reporters later asked which programs would lose money, Trump replied, “You’ll see. It’ll be significant.”
Who Is on the List
The Justice Department last year released a roster of three dozen states, cities, and counties it labels sanctuary jurisdictions. The list is dominated by Democratic strongholds:
- States: California, Connecticut, New York
- Cities: Boston, New York City
- Counties: Baltimore County, Maryland; Cook County, Illinois
The administration has not published a strict definition of “sanctuary,” but the term generally means local agencies refuse to hold undocumented immigrants for federal pick-up or share information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Courts Have Rejected Similar Plans Before
Federal judges stopped two earlier Trump efforts to strip money from sanctuary areas:
- 2017: Courts blocked an attempt to withhold public-safety grants from cities during Trump’s first term.
- 2024: A California-based judge struck down an executive order that directed agencies to withhold funds from jurisdictions “that seek to shield people in the country illegally from deportation.” Government lawyers argued the order was premature because no money had been pulled and no conditions had been detailed, but the court rejected that position.
## Funding Already Under Threat
Even before the Feb 1 deadline, several federal departments have moved to choke off dollars:
- Agriculture Department warned states that refuse to hand over Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program data that they will lose administrative funds. No money has been stopped yet, and litigation is ongoing.
- Health and Human Services last week halted daycare subsidies and other aid for low-income families in five Democratic-led states over unspecified fraud concerns. A court has temporarily blocked that action.
- Minnesota faces a double hit: Agriculture has frozen unspecified funding, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced plans to withhold $515 million every three months from 14 Medicaid programs labeled “high risk.” The sum equals one-fourth of the federal share for those programs. State officials said Tuesday they are appealing.
Key Takeaways
- The Feb 1 freeze would be the broadest financial penalty yet, covering all federal dollars to entire states.
- Previous courtroom losses suggest legal challenges are likely and could delay or stop the plan.
- Millions of residents in targeted states could see disruptions in health care, food assistance, and child-care aid if the policy survives court review.
